Tavares

[herman]

https://twitter.com/StapeAthletic/status/1012405816304046092
Oh yeah, of course, that's the best place to make a far-reaching decision about your future...

https://twitter.com/StapeAthletic/status/1012408958185889792
Lol

 

[YYZ]

Think I will go for the blue Tavares sweater.

 

[Coco-puffs]

https://twitter.com/scottcwheeler/status/1012441979001753600

Trying my damn hardest to keep my expectation level at zero.

 

[herman]

Hot diggity

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Props to RedLeaf for being way ahead of this one all the way back in 2014:

I don't know if it merits its own thread or not, but according to James Mirtle (@mirtle) via Twitter:

Hearing the Leafs will add Wes Clark to their hockey ops team. He's currently director of player development for the Soo Greyhounds.

Clark has worked training elite hockey players for a long time, including John Tavares. Will likely help Leafs develop their picks.

Here's some links on him:
http://www.soogreyhounds.com/page/hockey-operations_102431

http://www.soogreyhounds.com/article/clark-named-hounds-director-of-player-development

http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/wes-clark/17/4b5/1b9

http://www.theathletetrainingcentre.com/

I am honestly surprised that it took this long.

Can his friendship with Tavares help to lure John to Toronto? Wishful thinking, huh?

 

[rjd]

https://twitter.com/scottcwheeler/status/1012441979001753600

Trying my damn hardest to keep my expectation level at zero.

See Vesey, Jimmy.

 

[LuncheonMeat]

Props to RedLeaf for being way ahead of this one all the way back in 2014:

I don't know if it merits its own thread or not, but according to James Mirtle (@mirtle) via Twitter:

Hearing the Leafs will add Wes Clark to their hockey ops team. He's currently director of player development for the Soo Greyhounds.

Clark has worked training elite hockey players for a long time, including John Tavares. Will likely help Leafs develop their picks.

Here's some links on him:
http://www.soogreyhounds.com/page/hockey-operations_102431

http://www.soogreyhounds.com/article/clark-named-hounds-director-of-player-development

http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/wes-clark/17/4b5/1b9

http://www.theathletetrainingcentre.com/

I am honestly surprised that it took this long.

Can his friendship with Tavares help to lure John to Toronto? Wishful thinking, huh?

I think I'm more impressed with you finding that quote. No offense, RedLeaf. 

 

[Zee]

Suddenly people are saying that SJ has the best shot.....oh well I knew it was too good to be true he'd be a Leaf.

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[Nik]

Suddenly people are saying that SJ has the best shot.....oh well I knew it was too good to be true he'd be a Leaf.

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I'm pretty sure I've been saying that for a while now.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/BDGallof/status/1012678606894624769

I actually had a similar thought too when Lou was brought on. Garth Snow is the only GM Tavares ever had before. He was his GM for 9 years. I can understand there being a certain level of loyalty that comes along with that kind of long-term relationship. But he has no sense of loyalty to Lou, why would he? Everyone thought that move might have convinced Tavares to stay on with the Islanders but it could very well have actually had the opposite effect.

 

[Coco-puffs]

Suddenly people are saying that SJ has the best shot.....oh well I knew it was too good to be true he'd be a Leaf.

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I'm pretty sure I've been saying that for a while now.

Yeah, I don't think its sudden at all.  San Jose was always talked about as a potential destination.  And the more one takes a look at it, the more I think it ends up being his landing spot.

- Good chance to win now
- Older team, so not as good a chance to win later BUT Doug Wilson rebuilds on the fly better than just about anyone.
- Anonymity.  While most people believe JT wouldn't be phased by the media fishbowl in TO, that doesn't mean he's eager to deal with it
- Anonymity Pt 2 (Fiance).  While most believe that since JT's fiance is from the GTA, she may want to be close to family there are other signs that point me in the opposite direction.  She's quite private (no social media presence that we know of) and SHE may actually prefer the anonymity.
- Lifestyle.  I think its been covered pretty well that the bay area is quite attractive in terms of lifestyle.  Heck, Leaf homerism aside, if I was in his shoes I'd probably want to move to the Bay area given the chance and I LOVE living in TO.

 

[Bullfrog]

I really don't think anonymity is a key factor. He still chooses to live in Toronto in the summer, so clearly it doesn't bother him.

 

[Zee]

All of you and your reasonable arguments.  Please just allow me to flip tables in frustration.


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[CarltonTheBear]

Yeah, I don't think its sudden at all.  San Jose was always talked about as a potential destination.  And the more one takes a look at it, the more I think it ends up being his landing spot.

Arthur Staples reported that Toronto and LA appeared to be his two personal preferences initially too, so once LA had to bow out San Jose obviously became a pretty logical replacement for them.

But I mean, he's coming to Toronto.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I think I'm more impressed with you finding that quote. No offense, RedLeaf. 

I was gonna make a post about how this is Wes Clark's 2nd time around with the Leafs and did a quick search for when he was first hired to get some info, but then I got lazy and just posted that instead.

 

[bustaheims]

I really don't think anonymity is a key factor. He still chooses to live in Toronto in the summer, so clearly it doesn't bother him.

Agreed. I think we can largely strike that one off. It's a little different during the season, but the team is also on the road half that time, and players are pretty busy with practices, meetings, and games while they're in town, so it feels like a non-factor.

I still suspect he stays with the Islanders - mostly because elite free agents stay with their teams. Other than Niedermayer, I honestly can't think of another that left their original team as a free agent before the twilight of their careers.

 

[Nik]

I really don't think anonymity is a key factor. He still chooses to live in Toronto in the summer, so clearly it doesn't bother him.

There's a pretty big difference, I think, between wanting to be anonymous in your hometown when you're a reasonably well known hockey player for a fairly underpublicized New York team and wanting some anonymity when you're the most famous guy on the most famous team in town.

They did a quick hit about this on TSN yesterday with Lebrun and Mike Johnson and honestly the way they talked about the realities of playing in Toronto made it sound pretty bad.

 

[Bullfrog]

I can understand that. I once had a dinner with a well-known Canadian celebrity and his family and it was really annoying. The worst was the constant flow of people saying:

- "you know, I don't normally come up to people, but....."
- "I'm so sorry for interrupting your dinner, but...."
- "Could I just get a quick picture....it'll only take a second...."

Once or twice would be ok; but after the 20th time.....well I came to understand the prison that fame can be. The fans being polite didn't help much, because it was the total amount of interruption that was annoying, not any single request.

 

[Coco-puffs]

I really don't think anonymity is a key factor. He still chooses to live in Toronto in the summer, so clearly it doesn't bother him.

There's a pretty big difference, I think, between wanting to be anonymous in your hometown when you're a reasonably well known hockey player for a fairly underpublicized New York team and wanting some anonymity when you're the most famous guy on the most famous team in town.

They did a quick hit about this on TSN yesterday with Lebrun and Mike Johnson and honestly the way they talked about the realities of playing in Toronto made it sound pretty bad.

I think the realities of playing in Toronto being pretty bad goes hand in hand with how well the team is doing.  For the past 50 years, there have only been small stretches were the team has been good, so for the most part, it should sound bad to play here.

 

[Nik]

I can understand that. I once had a dinner with a well-known Canadian celebrity and his family and it was really annoying. The worst was the constant flow of people saying:

- "you know, I don't normally come up to people, but....."
- "I'm so sorry for interrupting your dinner, but...."
- "Could I just get a quick picture....it'll only take a second...."

Once or twice would be ok; but after the 20th time.....well I came to understand the prison that fame can be. The fans being polite didn't help much, because it was the total amount of interruption that was annoying, not any single request.

The way they phrased it, and I may be half remembering it, was something along the lines of "If he comes here and succeeds, there's a lot of upside. If he comes here and they don't succeed, there's more downside as well. Tavares has to decide if he's ready for that risk and if his family is as well."

It was the latter part of it that sort of hit home for me. Even if Tavares was prepared for the media/fan attention and potentially his hot dog consumption becoming municipal fodder, would you want to do that to your family? I don't think it's much of an exaggeration either. I'm sure most of us remember some of the uglier things that happened with Phaneuf that blew back onto his now wife when he was here. If he doesn't play well, it may very well manifest itself in unpleasant experiences for his family. That's a hell of a thing to potentially ask of them.